North Atlantic origin of Gibraltar fin whales

• Main Authors: Gauffier, Pauline, Panigada, Simone, Aguilar, Alex, e Silva, Monica Almeida, Martin, Vidal, Berrow, Simon D., Prieto, Rui, Ryan, Conor, Urban-R, Jorge, Palsboll, Per, Bérubé, Martine
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Fin whale; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/e5958587-29bf-430e-a979-e896733381f2; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/e5958587-29bf-430e-a979-e896733381f2

Fin whales were common in the Strait of Gibraltar before depletion by whaling in the 1920s. Today, sightings are rare suggesting a slow or no recovery. Previous population genetic studies have inferred that the fin whales that summer in the LigurianSea are genetically distinct from those summering in the North Atlantic. However, recent acoustic surveys of fin whales suggests that the northeastern North Atlantic fin whales may spend part of the year in the southwest Mediterranean basin (Alboran Sea), but not in the northwest Mediterranean Sea (Ligurian Sea). Here we report on the population genetic analyses of samples collected from the Strait of Gibraltar and several northeastern North Atlantic locations to assess which North Atlantic fin whale population may be the source of those fin whales observed in the Strait of Gibraltar. A total of 29 fin whale samples collected in the Strait of Gibraltar from 2007 to 2012 were genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci, sexed and the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial control region determined. The data was compared to similar data from fin whale samples collected in the Ligurian Sea, the northeastern North Atlantic (Spanish coast), the Azores, the Canary Islands as well as the Sea of Cortez. Preliminary results suggest that the Strait of Gibraltar fin whale samples are more similar to the West-Southwest North Atlantic (i.e., the Azores and the Canary Islands), than northeastern North Atlantic areas, such as Atlantic Spain, and Ireland. The overall spatial distribution of genetic variation suggests that ocean surface currents are a main determinant for fin whale population structure. Our results support the importance of collecting additional tissue samples in the western Mediterranean Basin (around 110 the Balearic Islands) as well as the Tyrrhenian Basin; the two areas where fin whales are also common.